At idle/stand still, turning the wheel produces a vigorous shaking. The intensity of the shaking is reduced when moving or at higher rpm, indicating to me that the ps pump is still being driven by the belt and not broken. Fluid in the reservoir is full, and no visible leaks.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4g4D88OMD4&sns=em

Mango

11-28-2012 01:27 PM

Hard to tell but it could be your idle just dropping due to using the power steering pump. any codes or vacuum leaks?

pwnFTW

11-28-2012 03:28 PM

I'm not getting any indication on my dash, ill have to borrow a code reader to check. As far as I know there's no vac leaks.. Just wanted to see if anyone knew if this was a clear indication of ps system failure..
My rpms aren't dropping when the wheel is turned either :/

KingBee

11-28-2012 03:36 PM

Thats 100% your PS pump. It's either about to go out, or you may have a bolt loose.

That's true...normally there's a whining sound coming from the pump when it's about to go out. The fact that it's absent here makes me think that the pump may be loose...I would go under the car and make sure it is installed correctly and that all bolts are nice and tight.

I had the same symptoms in my 325i and I'm pretty sure it was due to a bad install of the PS pump and that the actual pump was still fine.

Let us know what it turns out to be!

pwnFTW

11-29-2012 01:07 AM

All great leads thank you guys! I'll throw the car up on jacks tomorrow and check it out. Is a dirty filter/clogged filter in the reservoir a possibility?

pwnFTW

11-29-2012 01:08 AM

@Sherbs ya the shaking lessens in intensity as the rpms increase

GSherbs

11-29-2012 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwnFTW
(Post 14936181)

@Sherbs ya the shaking lessens in intensity as the rpms increase

Was asking about frequency, not intensity...

RayPooley

11-29-2012 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwnFTW
(Post 14936181)

@Sherbs ya the shaking lessens in intensity as the rpms increase

Can I suggest you get someone to turn the wheel while you take a look at what the drive belt is doing when this occurs? Could it be slipping? Could the tensioner be a problem?

pwnFTW

01-14-2013 11:55 AM

Well, just rebuilt the entire system and it fixed the problem. Not sure if it was the pump, or air getting into the system because of a badly cracked hose. Either, way a whole rebuild is never a bad idea if you can afford it

rich.coley

01-23-2013 07:58 PM

Gotta know, what is a "rebuild of the entire system"? I came home last night and my 05 325 began doing the very thing yours did as I was turning into the drive way. I haven't noticed any RPM change affecting the noise and shudder, just when I turn the steering wheel it shudder and makes that same horrible sound. One thing I will add, and hopefully the more initiated out there may be able to help, it was below 20 degrees all day yesterday and my car sat outside all day. I started it and it was making a weird noise, then 15 min later, I get exactly what this video is. Funny thing is, today, I went to check it after it'ss been sitting in garage all day and night, and no noise. So what gives? So, pwn, what diod you do? Everyone else, chime in?

pwnFTW

01-24-2013 02:48 PM

The "entire rebuild" consisted of a new ps fluid reservoir, a new luk-30 power steering pump, the hight pressure hose, reservoir to cooling hose, and the reservoir to pump hose.
Now I couldn't quite narrow down what component caused the failure, but I have an idea. My ps fluid was very, very dirty and this most likely clogged up the filter in the reservoir. This would keep additional fluid from being pulled into the system when the wheel is turned, creating a lot of pressure in the hoses, probably pinching them shut.
That being said, I also had a leak/crack in one of the hoses so there was probably air in my system as well.
The poor/zero circulation and air in the system undoubtedly harmed the pump.
I don't know the freezing point of ATF but if yours saw an increase in viscosity from the cold, could have the same effect as a plugged filter? Maybe?

Honestly, if I could have nailed down the problem precisely, I would have just replaced the one bad component. But I opted for the shotgun approach lol